A January Morning in Knaresborough

Last weekend we drove over to Knaresborough to visit some friends who have just moved there. It’s one of those places that I just wasn’t aware of, I had actually heard of one of it’s best sights, I just didn’t know it was in Knaresborough!

Knaresborough is just a few miles east of Harrogate, in North Yorkshire, delightfully situated on the river Nidd. The town itself is rather smart and well presented, steep roads, cobbled streets and stone steps take you down to the river where there is a lovely ‘promenade’ which I could imagine gets very busy in the summer. On a chilly January day however it was largely deserted bar the odd dog walker or well wrapped up couple.

The steps drop down from cliff overlooking the river, on which sits the remains of Knaresborough Castle. I love a good ruin, and this is looked fabulous dusted with snow. Not a lot remains from its construction in 1300s, a keep, a few bits of tower and the outer wall. It makes a pleasant green park area, I think there is a bit of a putting green {non-crazy golf anyone?} in summer.

This is what I love about Britain, you can turn up anywhere and come across some awesome relic from ancient bygone days. And castles are just brilliant, who doesn’t enjoy exploring an old castle, imagining it full of life, luxurious, austere, violent?

Knaresborough’s biggest attraction is also one of the oddest, Mother Shipton’s Well. Mineral rich water pours over an overhang of rock into a well, along the bank of the river Nidd, a little walk from the town centre. The water is very calciferous and objects that are hung off this overhang quickly petrify over a couple of months, so for your viewing pleasure you can see a calcified, petrified teddy bear, John Wayne’s hat and Agatha Christie’s handbag, among other things. I can’t confirm any of this however, or show you pictures, as the well was closed for the winter.

Our main reason for walking into town was to wander round the monthly farmers market in the town square. Despite the temperature there were a few stalls selling  very tasty locally produced delights, including vegetables, breads, gluten-free brownies, pies and cheeses. I went home with a bag of brownies, the boys? Black pudding sausage rolls, Black pudding, for anyone not familiar with the term, is a ‘sausage’ made from cooked {usually pig} blood. Not my cup of tea at all, being a veggie and all, but the guys thought these were a real treat!

The gluten-free brownies from the market inspired me to create my own Gluten-Free Black Forest Brownies.

Have you ever been inspired by seeing/buying something from a farmers market?